FUNetix® Offers Free Kindle Devices to Help Baltimore Children Learn to Read; Partners and Sponsors from Baltimore are Invited to Join

BALTIMORE, Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FUNetix®, a patented free reading instruction app that helps children learn to read in just 12 hours, is bringing a special philanthropic initiative to Baltimore and four other pilot cities, including Philadelphia, Albuquerque and Los Angeles. Along with its parent nonprofit organization the American Youth Literacy Foundation, the FUNetix team is seeking local partners in Baltimore to help give away free Kindle Fire 7 devices to Baltimore schoolchildren.

Many families in Baltimore and throughout the country are struggling to recover from the disruptions and learning loss inflicted by the pandemic. Studies have shown that during the past year, U.S. children in grades 3-8 experienced a 3-6% decline in reading achievement, while children in grades K-2 were interrupted by school closures just when they were learning how to read. This situation is causing incredible stress and widening educational achievement gaps for children from lower-income families.

FUNetix is dedicated to combating these challenges and bringing extra help and inspiration to Baltimore children who are just learning how to read, or struggling with reading. Each free Kindle device will be pre-loaded with the FUNetix 12 Hour Reading App, giving each family a built-in "Learn to Read" tool that teaches kids how to read fast! There are no required subscriptions, in-app purchases, or other costs for Baltimore families; FUNetix only asks that the families agree to use the FUNetix app with their children, and to stay in touch with a local FUNetix community liaison who will support them for up to 14 weeks (also for free) as the children progress through the app and strengthen their reading skills.

"I grew up in Maryland outside of D.C. cheering for the Orioles," said Mr. R. Kali Woodward, founder of FUNetix and Executive Director of the American Youth Literacy Foundation. "Baltimore has a special place in my heart. Baltimore kids have suffered disproportionately for decades, but they have unlimited potential to become excellent readers, at a young age, and to transfer that skill into secondary and higher education. Our foundation has been bringing out the reading potential in kids all across the country since we started in 2008, and we believe the Baltimore community is the perfect place to launch our new 'Legacy of Literacy' free Kindle Giveaway initiative."

FUNetix has a team of local volunteers and community liaisons in Baltimore who are in the process of building relationships with area schools, identifying families who would like to receive a free Kindle, and working with donors and local businesses to secure funding to scale the program throughout the city.

"I think children are the future of our country and the world, and it is up to the generation before them to teach them great things, including literacy," said Monique Lynelle Gray, with Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Baltimore Chapter. "Because I have a diverse background, including the U.S. Army, cosmetology, and authoring a book for teens, I understand that education, and being able to read and communicate, are essential to any field. By giving families a free Kindle with a powerful, pre-installed reading app, we can help close the digital divide, put educational technology into more homes, and boost reading scores and lifelong literacy skills in Baltimore."

The FUNetix team is launching the Kindle Giveaway program in Baltimore, and then plans to take the initiative to dozens of other cities nationwide, including Philadelphia where AYLF is headquartered, Albuquerque and Los Angeles, where Woodward formerly lived and attended UCLA Law.

"By giving away free Kindles to families in need, with our free, fun, FUNetix 12 Hour Reading App pre-installed, we plan to help tens, or even hundreds of thousands of American children recover from the educational impacts of the pandemic, and fight America's decades-old literacy crisis," Woodward said. "We're asking the Baltimore business community and local nonprofits and schools to join us in investing in Baltimore's families, to be partners in literacy, helping to teach Baltimore's children to read, together."

If your Baltimore business, charitable foundation, school, church, volunteer group, or community organization would like to partner with FUNetix, if you can help connect FUNetix with families in Baltimore who would like to receive a free Kindle, or if you would like to donate funds to the Baltimore Kindle giveaway, please visit https://funetix.org/baltimore-kindle-giveaway/ or contact [email protected].

Baltimore families that would like to receive a free Kindle are invited to sign up at bit.ly/MyKindleBaltimore.

About FUNetix
FUNetix is a free, groundbreaking reading app designed for children ages 5-9 that helps children learn to read FAST, from the ABC's to Grade 2 reading level, in about 12 hours. FUNetix is a gamified mobile app that creates a simulated one-on-one tutoring experience in an immersive learning environment. The FUNetix method of learning to read was forged through 18 years of clinical research and neuroscientific fundamentals of how children learn to read most effectively. FUNetix helps children see the sounds of the words as they read. FUNetix is patented, and offered free of charge, by the American Youth Literacy Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. To learn more visit FUNetix.org

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SOURCE FUNetix